‘Costellos’ in St. Paul Does a Final “Last Call”

Starting at 2 pm Thursday, Feb. 27 and repeating until Costello’s Bar and Grill closed its doors for the last time later that night, it was planned that the song “It’s The End of the World” by R.E.M. would play nonstop from the neon-lit jukebox.

Seriously.

Concluding a 19-year run in St. Paul, Costello’s officially closed just before 2 am Friday morning. The business, located off of Selby and Western, will not be relocating. For Costello’s it was “the end of the world, as we know it.”

An employee at Costello’s, who wished to be identified only as “Rocky,” said the R.E.M. was symbolic for many long-time patrons of the bar and grill.

“This is it,” he said of the bar’s demise.

Already positioned to takeover the location is the Red Cow, a burger joint that presently has another location in Minneapolis.

According to Rocky, some remodeling will take place before the Red Cow opens at the Selby location sometime this year.

Alcohol will continue to be served at the new business. Burgers will be available. And all those who had a passion for Costello’s should “feel fine,” as the R.E.M. song boasts.

About Author

Joseph Friedrichs is a graduate from the University of Montana School of Journalism. His writing has appeared in The New York Times and dozens of other newspapers throughout Oregon, Colorado and Minnesota. In 2005, Friedrichs was awarded the Robert F. Kennedy award for excellence in journalism. He is also the author of three books, including “It’s Good to Fish Alone,” published in May 2013. He lives in Minneapolis.

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